Suffering For The Gospel

Sermon @ Faith Country Chapel 5/24/2009
Suffering for The Gospel
2 Timothy 1:8-14
Play Memorial Day Remember Video

This Memorial Day weekend, our thoughts once again are drawn to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Some of those so memorialized are near and dear to our hearts. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and many battles and skirmishes in-between, thousands upon thousands died in battle on behalf of The United States of America. Freedom comes at a cost.

Despite the nobleness of the cause for which they fought, one still wonders what prompts so many to risk their life and to suffer the horrors of battle. The reasons for enlisting or obeying their conscription into military service would be numerous yet, the sacrifice for the cause for which they fought is the same. One would think the horrors of a battlefield, would be a deterrent to so many enlisting to serve yet, thankfully many do.

There is a very real parallel to this for us as Christians. The call to Christ is a call to serve and a call to suffer. As pastors admittedly we do not like to talk about that as much especially, in the United States and many other countries in the Western World where suffering for The Gospel is nothing compared to what the reality is for many Christians around the world.

Such as Pakistan, where 80 Christian families displaced by the recent military surge against the Taliban are homeless and living on the grounds of their church while Muslims receive government help with tents, mattresses, food, clothing and medical care. In March, in Indonesia, two families were evicted from their homes and lost their jobs after they were baptized as Christians. In April, 18 Christians and their leaders were arrested by the Public Security Bureau in China, as they celebrated communion in their house church. You can read these and other stories at the Voice of The Martyrs web site—persecution.com.

But, that is not our story here today. None of us tried to slip out of our house unnoticed as we left for church this morning. We did not look over our shoulder wondering if a government agent was watching us or a neighbor would report our entry into the church building to government leaders. As we leave this morning, we do not fear being fired from our job, or jailed or beaten because we were here today.

Yet, Jesus was very clear that suffering as He suffered was very much a reality for any who would chose to follow Him. In Matthew 5:11, He called us blessed if we were persecuted and insulted because of Him. In Mark 13:13, Jesus said, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” He asks us to take up The Cross and follow Him. This is no fine print, after the fact, oh by the way, conditions being added to the call to come to Christ. Jesus is upfront with us about what it may mean for us to be His disciples.

It’s just that here, in the United States, it’s a part of the Call to Christ that we don’t want to talk to much about. Simply put, suffering doesn’t sell or so we may think. Comfort, Hope, Peace, Love, Joy, New Life and Eternal Life those are easier to sell. Who wouldn’t want that?! Unfortunately, many even reject that message.

Nonetheless, as a pastor, it would be far easier for me to preach a message of hope, or changed life or wisdom for daily living than it would be to preach a message about suffering. It’s not a feel good message or at least, it doesn’t start out that way. Now, don’t get me wrong or as Pastor Brian might say, “Don’t go out of here telling people that I said we shouldn’t be preaching about hope and joy and eternal life.” That is not what I am saying. We need to daily live and preach that message because all of it is true. But, what is also true is that as Christians we should be prepared to suffer for the sake of The Gospel and I believe more so, in the coming days.

Now, let’s be clear about one more thing before we look at our text for today. We are talking about suffering in its fullest sense-persecution, insult and hardship because you choose to be a Christian and live out your faith and its principles in your everyday life. What we are not talking about is financial difficulties, relationship struggles or health problems though they too can be a result of living a life sold out for Christ. However, as Scripture says “it rains on the just and the unjust” and those situations can fall upon you whether you are a Christian or not. What we are focusing on this morning is the troubles and struggles that we face because we choose to live a life of faith which runs counter to a world that ignores and even rejects God The Father, Our Savior Jesus Christ and the life-changing presence of The Holy Spirit. And while we may not face harsh persecution today like many of our brothers and sisters around the world, we see times are changing and the challenges to living a life of faith in Christ will become greater and greater for our generation and generations to come. And while it may seem this message is all gloom and doom, you will see from Paul’s letter to Timothy that there is much to be gained for those who are willing to answer the call to serve and to suffer.

Read 2 Timothy 1:8-14 (go back to verse 7)

Prayer

In verse 8, Paul invites Timothy to “not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” and to be willing “to suffer for the gospel”. Paul is imprisoned because he has been preaching the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of Eternal Life. He was preaching heresy in the Jewish Faith and rebellion to the Roman government or so it was thought. He has faced many trials, suffered much and now is in jail because he was so bold to proclaim The Gospel. So he invites Timothy to experience the same. “Suffer for The Gospel, Timothy. Meet the same fate as me. Be a part of the mission.” What is he nuts?! Who would extend such a call?! Again suffering for Christ is not something that looks good on a T-shirt or a Billboard. It’s not what the ad agency would recommend for the TV commercial. But, Paul invites Timothy, as a young pastor, to be willing to suffer as he has suffered.

But why? In verse 9, Paul reminds us why we should be willing to suffer. Because the power of God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. He says “Timothy you know what God has done for us—He has saved us, He’s given us a new life, a HOLY life and not because we did anything to deserve it, because we didn’t, but because He wanted to, it was His will, it was His grace. Better yet, Timothy , Jesus Christ, our Savior destroyed death and has brought us life and immortality! That’s good news! No, that’s GREAT news! We need to proclaim it and live it for others to know. Even if there are those who do not want to listen to it so much so, that they are willing to persecute us and bully us and do what they can to shut us up! We must be willing to suffer for The Gospel.”

Are you willing? I hope I am. I would like to think that I am. It’s easy to talk tough when the situation isn’t tough. I look at the conditions my fellow pastors in the EMC in Myanmar endure and I think, “could I do that?” “Could I minister in the midst of such poverty in a country under military rule where my religion barely registers a percentage point among so many Buddhists?”

Sure I live in a country where, if I am asked to pray in a public forum, many would ask that I not invoke the name of Jesus let alone pray at all. In our country, prayer and scripture reading are not welcomed in our public schools as they once were, religious expression is forbidden or looked down upon in the workplace and deeply held values about life and marriage rooted in our faith have been labeled as “out of the mainstream” and even “extremists”. Churches have been burned, insults have been hurled, accusations leveled yet we still exercise our faith in relative freedom and ease then so many.

So how do we suffer for The Gospel? How do we face the insult or the challenge to our core beliefs and deeply held values of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the one true way to eternal life in the presence of a Holy and Just God? How do we answer the call to serve and to possibly suffer because of our belief in the One who redeemed you and me?

In verse 7, Paul reminds us that we have been given a spirit, not of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. And as we read through verse 14, we learn more of what this means.

Spirit of Power

v. 8 Power of God. The power of God has saved us and it is His power that will sustain us no matter what. We face suffering not in our own power, because we will be quick to run or be rolled over (some quicker than others) but, nevertheless, we will not be victorious in our own might. We must stand on the power of God and Him alone. It is human nature to compromise, go with the flow, or hide in order to protect and preserve. Only in God’s power can we stand tall and strong, as the enemy attacks.

v.12 Trust God. Paul tells Timothy he knows in whom He believes and he trusts God to guard the life that he has surrendered to Him until that day God calls him home. If our life is surrendered to Him and remains surrendered to Him, we need not doubt the surety of our salvation and our eternal life. Paul knew that he had nothing worth saving to lose and he had everything worth gaining already saved. We need to trust in God’s Will and perfect plan for our lives even when the road to the final destination gets rough.

v. 14 Live by The Spirit. The power of God comes to us through the presence of The Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples before He ascended into Heaven that they would receive the power of The Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. We receive that same Holy Spirit power when we claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and surrender our life to Him. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in our life today until that day when we stand in His presence face-to-face. His Holy Spirit gives us the strength, wisdom, comfort and peace and so much more that we can live the life we have been called to live even in the most difficult of circumstances.



Spirit of Love

v. 13 Sound Teaching with Faith and Love. We must love and have compassion even for those who oppose us. That is not to say we are wimps or fail to protect and defend. However, we stand strong on the sound teachings of our faith but always with the intent and hope of leading others to the life-changing power of The Gospel. If our enemy, is nothing more than our enemy in our hearts, we will never be motivated to see them changed as we have been changed.

Spirit of Self-Discipline or Sound Mind (New American Standard)

v.12 Know what you Believe. Continually seek to know God more and more and the truth of His Word through study, prayer, worship and fellowship. Experience His power as you serve in ministry to others. Live your faith. Be active in your faith. Know what you believe and WHO you believe. If God is nothing more than a distant being, you will wither at the tiniest of insults. But, if you know Him and love Him and abide in Him, you will be all the more willing to suffer whatever you may face.

This brings us to the final question of “why?”. Why suffer for The Gospel? What is the purpose? What is to be gained from suffering? In short, a lot. There is a lot to be gained from suffering. The list is long. But, this morning I want us to focus one very important point that Paul made in verse 11.

And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

We who are saved by The Gospel of Jesus Christ and who have been changed by The Power of The Holy Spirit should be compelled to see the lives of others eternally changed --whether friend or stranger. The same reason an American soldier steps on the battlefield that others may be or remain free so to, the Christian is willing to suffer for The Gospel on the battlefields of life that others may be truly free from sin and death.

Friends, if you are a Christian, a committed follower of Jesus Christ, surrendered to the power of The Holy Spirit; then you are a part of this mission. You are called to so live out your faith and proclaim it in word and deed to cause others to come to Jesus even in the face of suffering. We are called to be the church that is not timid but boldly relies on the spirit of power, love and self-discipline as we serve our Father.

We are alive in Christ in the midst of a dying world that desperately needs Him yet rejects Him and also, reject us. Yet we boldly proclaim and serve. A church that is so willing to minister in His Name at all costs—that church will dramatically impact families for Jesus Christ and against that church not even the gates of hell will prevail against it—so promises our Lord!!!

Praise God today that we worship and minister in relative ease. But let us not fear the insults and sufferings that we occasionally face and let us not shrink from the suffering that is to come knowing that we have an eternal reason for being bold yet humble, in our faith.

Stand with me as we close in prayer.

If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today’s message had little relevance for you. However, I pray that the you will be moved to seek a relationship with Him for it will change your life and bring you eternal joy and peace and so much more even in the midst of suffering. For those who do have that relationship with Jesus, I encourage you to grow strong in your faith and to know in whom you believe and be convinced that He will guard that which you have entrusted to Him for that day. Let us pray.

Closing Prayer